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Coast Guard Academy Lacrosse Takes Down SCAD In Season Opener

Hardeeville, S.C. – A lack of field time in New London, caused by the heavy snows from Winter Storm NEMO, didn’t seem to affect the Coast Guard Academy Men’s Lacrosse team (1-0) as they opened the season with a 14-10 win over #9 SCAD (1-2) in the third annual Ricky McAllaster Memorial Lacrosse Tournament. Attackman Austin English (Kent Island, Md./Kent Island), midfielder Steven Danseglio (Islip Terrace, N.Y./East Islip) and goalie Justin Dougherty (Satellite Beach, Fla./Holy Trinity Episcopal) did what seniors are supposed to do and led their team to victory with a combined eights goals, two assists, 19-28 faceoff wins and 14 saves.

Don’t know if it was the jet lag or the early morning tour of helicopters at Coast Guard Air Station Savannah, but the Bears came out flat and were quickly down 0-2. However, the quiet man from Texas, 2/c Stu Carley (Houston, Texas/James E. Taylor), pulled the Bears even at two with an individual effort from behind followed by a great finish in front set up by 2/c E. J. Schmid (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville) just back from an exchange semester at West Point. Trying to capitalize on the Army’s “Be all that you can be” theme from the ‘80s, E. J. got into the goal scoring column himself with a nice alley dodge and English closed out the four goal run with a nice dodge and shot from behind to end the quarter up 4-3.

SCAD opened up the second quarter scoring to tie things up at 4-4 despite three spectacular saves by 1/c Justin Dougherty over a 20-second span. After a big first quarter from the attack, the midfielders decided to turn it on as Danseglio and 2/c Paul Dell’isola (Bethesda, Md./Georgetown Prep) scored back-to-back goals on outside shots at the 9:37 and 8:01 marks to make it 6-4. English and Danseglio scored on nice individual effort to end the four goal run at 8-4. SCAD ended the half strong with two goals – one at the 40 second mark – to make it 8-6 heading in to the locker room.

The Bees also started the third quarter strong, scoring two goals to tie it up at eight before both offenses went cold and what appeared to have the makings of a shootout – turned into a stalemate with both teams changing possession but failing to score.
Despite a lackluster offensive performance in the third quarter, Coast Guard came out firing on all cylinders in the fourth. Austin English scored, what had to be, the goal of the game off a beautiful dodge from behind that ended with a diving shot and a 9-8 lead. The Bears continued their 5-2 run to ice the match on goals from Schmid , English, Danseglio (great effort right from the faceoff win) and Dell’isola.
Defensively, goalie Justin Dougherty led the Bears with a strong effort, making fourteen saves with ten goals against. The three man close-defense crew of 1/c Tim Wyderko (Detroit, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Mary’s), 1/c Conor Breckenridge (San Francisco, Calif./Novato) and 1/c James Fennessey (Milton, Mass./Milton) played exceptionally well throughout.

Coast Guard is back in action today, Sunday, at 3:00 p.m. against #20 Kennesaw State University (0-3). This will be the second time the Owls and Bears have met. The Bears won the first meeting in 2011 at the Sailfish Shootout 11-7.

Game Notes:

–With the 14-10 victory, the Coast Guard Academy now leads the all-time series 1-0. Both teams had never met previously.
–The Bears are currently ranked No. 12 overall in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse MCLA Coaches Poll this week.
–Coast Guard finished 19/28 on face-offs (67.8%).

As the smallest of the five U.S. service academies, the Coast Guard Academy offers the elite higher education, rigorous professional development, and honor and tradition of a military academy but with a more personalized approach.

The Coast Guard Academy offers an integrated life experience which emphasizes academics, physical fitness, character and leadership, in order to graduate officers of the highest caliber. Graduates go directly to positions of leadership in “The Shield of Freedom,” one of the most admired organizations in the world. The Academy also features an impressive teacher-student ratio and picturesque waterfront campus that instills a traditional small college feel.

Cadets devote themselves to an honor concept and graduate to work at sea, on land, in the air, and even in space, in meaningful careers of selfless service to others.